Clearing history on a Chromebook takes about 30 seconds and removes the record of sites you've visited, searches you've made, and files you've downloaded
Open Chrome and press Ctrl + H on your keyboard (or Cmd + H if you use a Mac). This opens your History page. On the left side, click Clear browsing data. A box will appear asking what time range you want to clear — you can choose the last hour, day, week, month, all time, or a custom date range. Make sure the checkbox next to Cookies and other site data is checked if you want sites to forget you were there. Then click Clear data.
That's the basic version. The rest of this guide covers what each option does, how to set up automatic clearing, and what actually gets deleted when you clear history.
Key Takeaways
- You can clear your history manually by pressing Ctrl + H, clicking Clear browsing data, and selecting your time range.
- Clearing history removes the list of sites you visited, but does not delete the files themselves from your computer unless you also clear cached images and files.
- Cookies are separate from history — clearing history alone leaves cookies behind, so websites can still recognize you if you don't check that box too.
- You can set Chrome to clear your history automatically every time you close the browser by turning on the Clear browsing data on exit setting.
- Clearing history on your Chromebook does not affect history saved to your Google account across other devices unless you also clear synced data.
What gets deleted when you clear history
When you click Clear data, Chrome removes the list of websites you visited during the time period you selected. This is the list that appears when you type in the address bar and Chrome suggests sites you've been to before. It also removes your search history — the searches you typed into Google or other search engines.
Downloaded files stay on your computer. Clearing history does not delete the PDFs, images, or documents you downloaded. If you want to remove those, you have to delete them manually from your Downloads folder. However, if you check the box for Cached images and files, Chrome will delete the temporary copies of images and web pages it stored to load sites faster next time.
Passwords and autofill information are separate. By default, clearing history does not remove saved passwords or the information Chrome uses to fill in forms. If you want to clear those too, check the boxes for Passwords and other sign-in data and Autofill form data.
The difference between history and cookies
History is the list of sites you visited. Cookies are small files that websites store on your computer to remember information about you — your login status, your preferences, items in your shopping cart. When you clear history without clearing cookies, the websites you visited still know you were there.
If you want websites to forget you, you need to clear both. In the Clear browsing data box, make sure Cookies and other site data is checked. This removes the files websites use to recognize you. The next time you visit those sites, you'll be logged out and they won't remember your preferences.
Some people clear history but keep cookies on purpose — so the sites they visit regularly still remember their login and settings, but they don't want a visible record of where they've been. That's a personal choice based on your own comfort level.
Clearing history synced across your devices
If you sign into Chrome with a Google account, your history syncs across every device where you use that account. When you clear history on your Chromebook, it only clears the history stored on that Chromebook — not the history on your phone, tablet, or other computers.
To clear synced history across all your devices, go to myactivity.google.com while signed into your Google account. This shows everything Google has recorded about your activity — not just Chrome history, but YouTube videos you watched, Google searches, and more. You can delete items one by one or delete everything from a specific date range. Changes here affect all devices signed into that Google account.
If you want to stop syncing history in the future, open Chrome settings, click You and Google, and turn off Sync. Your Chromebook will still keep a local history, but it won't send it to Google's servers or pull history from your other devices.
Setting Chrome to clear history automatically
You can tell Chrome to clear your browsing data every time you close the browser. Open Chrome and click the three-dot menu in the top right corner. Go to Settings, then Privacy and security, then Clear browsing data. Turn on the toggle for Clear cookies and site data when you quit Chrome.
When this is on, Chrome will automatically delete your history, cookies, cached files, and other browsing data the moment you close the browser completely. This means you won't have a record of where you've been, and websites won't be able to track you across sessions. The next time you open Chrome, it's like starting fresh.
You can customize what gets cleared automatically by clicking Manage exceptions in that same menu. This lets you choose specific websites that Chrome should remember even when you close the browser — useful if you have sites you log into regularly and don't want to sign in every time.
Clearing history from a specific website
You don't have to clear all your history at once. If you want to remove the record of visits to just one site, visit that website, then press Ctrl + H to open History. Find the site in the list, hover over it, and click the checkbox that appears. Then click Delete at the top.
This removes that site from your history list and prevents it from appearing in your address bar suggestions. However, it does not clear cookies from that site unless you go back to the full Clear browsing data menu and clear cookies separately.
What clearing history does not do
Clearing your history on a Chromebook does not hide your activity from your internet service provider or your network administrator. Your ISP can still see which websites you visited because that information travels through their servers. If you're on a school or work network, the network administrator can still see your traffic. Clearing history only removes the record from your own device.
Clearing history also does not delete emails, documents, or files stored in Google Drive or other cloud services. It only affects the browsing data stored locally on your Chromebook.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does clearing history delete files I downloaded?
No. Clearing history removes the list of sites you visited and the temporary copies Chrome stored, but the actual files you downloaded stay in your Downloads folder. You have to delete those manually. If you want to remove the temporary copies Chrome cached, check the Cached images and files box when you clear data.
Will clearing history log me out of websites?
Only if you also clear cookies. History and cookies are separate. If you clear history but leave cookies checked off, you'll stay logged in to most sites. If you check Cookies and other site data, you'll be logged out of everything.
Can someone see my history if I clear it?
Once you clear it from your Chromebook, no one looking at your device can see it. However, if your history was synced to your Google account before you cleared it, it may still exist on Google's servers. To remove it from there, go to myactivity.google.com and delete it from your Google account directly.
What's the fastest way to clear history?
Press Ctrl + H, click Clear browsing data, select your time range, and click Clear data. The whole process takes about 30 seconds. If you want it even faster, turn on automatic clearing so Chrome does it for you when you close the browser.
Does clearing history on my Chromebook clear it on my phone too?
No. Clearing history on your Chromebook only affects that device. If you want to clear history across all your devices, go to myactivity.google.com and delete it from your Google account. That removes it from all devices signed into that account.